Swim ladder & docking

Jun 9, 2014
17
Catalina 310 Cranston, RI
Hi Folks,
We bought a 2004 310 in late October and are really looking forward to having some fun when the warm weather arrives. The boat is out of the water and wrapped. This is probably a question with a self evident answer so go easy on me. I did search the forums but couldn't find a thread about this.
At our yacht club it seems to work best for access when you back in stern first. Most of the 30'+ boats use stern entry. Does the 310 swim ladder detach easily so we can do this? Or does it have to be removed and replaced with rails?
Thanks for your help.
JackMurray
 
Nov 18, 2010
2,441
Catalina 310 Hingham, MA
I replaced the screws that hold the ladder to the boat with these quick release pins. We just take the ladder off while at dock and hang it on the electrical pedestal.

Others have rebuilt the whole system to have a folding, telescoping ladder. I like those approaches too. But we like having the big, deep ladder so we went with this approach.
 

DaveJ

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Apr 2, 2013
449
Catalina 310 Niagara-on-the-Lake
Jesse, great idea. I rarely back into a slip, if I do I lower the ladder first. But would not want to leave it in the water for the long term......

dj
 
Nov 18, 2010
2,441
Catalina 310 Hingham, MA
I almost always back into slips. I love using the stern to enter and exit the boat. It avoids the need for stairs or hanging step at the low floating docks we have around here.

This is our setup right now.
 

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Aug 24, 2009
444
Catalina 310 Sturgeon Bay, WI
I see you have your life in the "Bubble" now JK, how is everything holding up in the cold?
 

DaveJ

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Apr 2, 2013
449
Catalina 310 Niagara-on-the-Lake
Jesse, I think you should distribute a little more weight to the starboard side, you're listing a bit....
I usually dock nose in for the privacy

dj
 
Nov 18, 2010
2,441
Catalina 310 Hingham, MA
Jesse, I think you should distribute a little more weight to the starboard side, you're listing a bit....
I usually dock nose in for the privacy

dj
Haha. Winter liveaboard mode. We don't really care much about weight distribution while we are tied to the dock and covered with shrink wrap. Not moving anywhere until April. The cockpit becomes extra storage and when this was taken we had a lot of stuff on the port settee.

I get the privacy side. We have friends that bow in for that reason. At our summer dock it's not much of an issue because we are the second to last slip. So we don't get too much traffic. We don't mind being more social when we travel, so it's not a big issue when we are transients either.
 

KZW

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May 17, 2014
831
Catalina 310 #307 Bluewater Bay, FL
I back into the dock and then disconnect the life lines on the port side. There is a short "stub" dock there that is nominally the same height as the port deck under the life lines. I use a floor mat to cover the deck, furling line, and cockpit seats when boarding, particularly if they are wet. The docks at my marina are fixed height and too tall to use the stern ladder entry. The tide only moves +/- a foot here on the Gulf Coast so the fixed high dock is no issue.

This is my first keel boat and I must say it took some practice to learn to back it in. It only took six attempts my first time. All the folks in the marina bar watched and commented. It was amusing for them. It was a relief for me to get it in the slip without touching anything! It must be said none came down to grab a line.
 

Tom J

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Sep 30, 2008
2,301
Catalina 310 Quincy, MA
We usually come in bow first at our slip in Quincy, because we have the dinghy on davits, but our neighbor in their C320 does exactly what Jesse does. Besides, we get great sunsets off the stern this way.
In Florida, before we had davits, we came in stern first because the small finger pier just reached the gate in the lifelines, near the stern. Usually I could drive up to the slip, swing the bow out, and back in. One day, though, I had guests aboard, and with the wind and tide, it took at least seven tries to get her in. At that, we ended up sideways to the pilings and pulled her into the slip by hand. My neighbor was kind enough to video the whole thing and even give me a copy. We had a good laugh over it, and at least he had taken the time to grab a line to help us.
Jesse, I think Dave was referring to the fact that your boat was listing so much, the picture ended up sideways!
 
Dec 29, 2010
44
Catalina 30 tall rig waupoos
I like the privacy of being bow first, otherwise your at the mercy of every one on the dock. to each his own.
 
Oct 17, 2011
221
Catalina 310 USA
I dock bow first now but have a short finger pier. I added a pelican hook to the top lifeline at the bow. I have also added a 2 step "stairs" that stays on the finger pier. Now, it is very easy to step on the boat with the stairs and dropping the lifeline.
 
Jan 22, 2008
214
Catalina 310 #147 Oakville Yacht Squadron
I have always backed in. Put up with that &$@#%£EUR swim ladder for years. The river is quite dirty so leaving the ladder down was not an option.
Finally removed it and put lifeline gates on the opening. I carry a cheap folding ladder to be legal; but when I do distance racing I put the factory ladder back on.
This winter I am installing a 4step slide out swim ladder. Needs some fab work since they are all designed to mount under a powerboat platform. I will add mounting angles on the bottom to fit our swim platform and use the new ladder's original mounting bracket to install a teak or Starbord walk on platform.
We are at a club, not a marina, so the social aspects are not an issue; though it does hit the "entertainment" budget harder than bow-in. On the plus side, we can take out some aging members who otherwise couldn't negotiate over the bow or even side on boarding.

This style of installation was featured a few years ago either here or in "Mainsheet" though I can't recall the contributor at this time.

I would also love to modify the pushpit rails to accommodate the "new" style Catalina factory hide-a-way gates but unless the pushpit gets damaged and has to come off at some point; it isn't worth the aggravation. I had the pulpit off 3 yrs ago because it was damaged in a storm surge on the river the week before haul-out. It was a PITA but I used that opportunity to update the bow lights to the new Hella LED's
Peter
2001 C310 #147
Oakville, ON
 
Jun 9, 2014
17
Catalina 310 Cranston, RI
Thanks all. Jesse, I've ordered those pins and can't wait to get them installed. We have the last slip at our yacht club so privacy isn't a big issue.
Jack
 
Oct 3, 2011
825
Anam Cara Catalina 310 Hull #155 155 Lake Erie/Catawba Island
Paul, Looks like you did a a fine piece of work putting that together! Great Job.
I am a bow in Guy... Privacy!
 
Oct 26, 2010
1,881
Hunter 40.5 Beaufort, SC
I got tired of the ladder getting in the way when boarding from the stern too. I wanted to keep the original ladder but had to figure out a way to make it a two piece ladder. After some discussion with my welder we came up with this idea and it seems to work very well. He first cut the ladder so that no step would protrude above the deck. Then he welded a solid stainless steel rod inside of the ladder and fitted it together before drilling a hole that would allow the the two pieces to be fitted together and pinned. It seems to work very well and is easy to rig up when we get underway. Here's the pictures:
 

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Jan 22, 2008
214
Catalina 310 #147 Oakville Yacht Squadron
Kent Like this.............. paulj :troll:
very nicely done Paul
I notice that you have lowered the propane locker "drains"
How did you manage to access that area from inside?
Is the transom in that area solid 'glass or cored?
Did you just fill the old ones with 5200?
Did you fix the "waterlock" in the portside spare locker? They came off the side with its drain; not the bottom as done with the main locker...
Thanks
Peter
 
Jan 22, 2008
214
Catalina 310 #147 Oakville Yacht Squadron
Kent Like this.............. paulj :troll:
Paul
Did you just replace the standard powerboat underside stainless mounting angle with aluminium channel? If so; what did you do for the crossbrace that keeps the ladder from swinging free on a powerboat, or hitting the transom on ours?
My plan was to have a local shop weld on a stainless fastening strip on either side bottom mirroring the top strips but the aluminum channel may be more economical; I just wasn't sure how to deal with that crossbrace.
Thanks
Peter